With the World Boxing Council (WBC) rating him in third spot in the latest ratings, Ricardo Malajika fancies himself going toe-to-toe with champion boxer Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez.
However, Malajika has Filipino boxer Vince Paras to take care of before he can even think about a fight against Rodriguez, who is the reigning WBC junior-bantamweight champion.
Malajika will be making the fourth defence of his International Boxing Organisation (IBO) junior-bantamweight title against Paras and they will also be fighting for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) number two position at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, on Saturday, 29 November.
“He’s very excited that he’s number three in the WBC. He’s very adamant that he wants to fight against Bam Rodriguez. Ricardo will be up for it when that fight happens,” Malajika’s trainer Manny Fernandes said referring to a Rodriguez fight.
On the clash against Paras, Fernandes said: “We expect an explosive fight on the 29th of November. Ricardo is fighting against a top, top opponent. Ricardo is a different fighter at the moment. The results speak for themselves. He’s been knocking guys who have never been knocked out before meeting him. I expect a knockout from this fight.”
The 27-year-old Malajika will go to the Paras fight on the back of a fifth round stoppage victory over another Filipino opponent Jayson Mama three months ago.
Having a record of 16 victories with 12 knockouts and two defeats, Malajika has successfully defended his IBO crown against Mama, East London’s Yanga Sigqibo and Marcel Braithwaite from the United Kingdom since winning the title after he defeated Argentine boxer Kevin Luis Munoz in September 2023.
A former IBO flyweight champion, Malajika is on a roll, winning his last eight fights, including three successive stoppage wins over Mama, Jackson Chauke and Sigqibo. – Monwabisi Jimlongo
